


Tightrope

by azzylon



Category: Senki Zesshou Symphogear
Genre: F/F, Tsubasa's PTSD makes me so sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-19 14:04:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14238882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azzylon/pseuds/azzylon
Summary: Hibiki wants Tsubasa to teach her how to dance, but some painful memories get in the way.





	Tightrope

  _You pulled me in and together we're lost in a dream_

_Always in motion_

_So I risk it all just to be with you_

_And I risk it all for this life we choose_

_Hand in my hand and you promised to never let go_

_We're walking the tightrope_

_High in the sky_

_We can see the whole world down below_

_We're walking the tightrope_

_Never sure, will you catch me if I should fall?_

_Well, it's all an adventure_

_That comes with a breathtaking view_

_Walking the tightrope_

_With you_

 

The ballroom of Lydian Private Music Academy was a grand affair. Polished mahogany floors with an interlocking pattern of dark and light wood that reflected images like a mirror and above it all a gigantic golden chandelier. Though generally rarely used for the most special of functions, the students at Lydian often used the spacious area after school for private singing practice.

And that is precisely where Tsubasa found herself that afternoon, almost immediately regretting her decision to respond to Hibiki’s plaintive cry for help earlier that day.

Hibiki sported a dancer’s leotard and looked almost as determined as she did when fighting Noise.

“Thank you for agreeing to help me, Tsubasa-san,” she said, eyebrows furrowed but smiling confidently. “With your help, Miku will have the best surprise ever!”

Tsubasa simply hummed noncommittally in return. “Tachibana, are you finally going to explain what this is about?”

Hibiki nodded firmly. She opened her mouth to respond, and then made an odd squeak and screwed her eyes shut, clamping her hands over her mouth. A faint blush crept across her cheeks.

“I didn’t think about how embarrassing this would actually be,” she whispered to herself, through her fingers. “Asking such a famous idol like you to help me with this silly idea.”

Tsubasa’s head tilted to the side curiously at that. A sudden wave of pity took hold of her, and she decided that she’d definitely help Hibiki with whatever it was going to be. Something about the younger girl’s actions reminded Tsubasa exactly how innocent she still was, despite everything that had happened to her.

Tsubasa waited for the other girl to compose herself with a patient smile. Soon enough, Hibiki stood up and dropped her arms. She stepped closer to Tsubasa, almost conspiratorially.

“I want you to teach me ballroom dance,” she nearly whispered, in embarrassment. 

Tsubasa’s eyebrows rose. _Completely unexpected._

“What?” she asked, after a beat.

Hibiki, now a glorious shade of crimson, nodded again, though her mouth crinkled into a sheepish expression. “Miku has been obsessing over ballroom dance ever since we watched this Takarazuka movie. She started taking lessons and keeps hinting that it would be much more fun to have a dance partner that she really trusted. And it’s her birthday soon. I… I thought it would be fun to surprise her by learning how to be a good dance partner!”

Tsubasa nodded vaguely as she listened, still processing Hibiki’s strange request. Tsubasa, being a world-renowned idol singer, certainly knew how to dance. Not only that, but she had mastered several types of dance from all over the world. She and Kanade had to learn in order to perform on stage together. Not to mention, the training went hand in hand with her work at S.O.N.G. So, it wouldn’t have been too much of a stretch to assume that Tsubasa would be able to help her.

But something tugged at Tsubasa anyway. Of course an idol needed to know various kinds of dance techniques, but this _particular_ style of dance tugged at the silvery memories inside her heart.

***

“Hey, Tsubasa!” Kanade called out as she jogged into the room.

Kanade’s grin was brighter than the sun, and so Tsubasa immediately knew she was up to no good. When Kanade spotted Tsubasa, sword out-stretched as she’d been in the middle of practice, her eyes softened around the edges, as they always did.

“Look at your smile! You already know it’s gonna be good,” Kanade laughed after she studied Tsubasa’s face.

Tsubasa felt a blush creep across her cheeks. No matter what she did, she could never stop the dopey smile that Kanade always managed to win from her so effortlessly.

Her blush deepened when Kanade stepped closer to her. So close that Tsubasa had to immediately crane her neck to look up at the tall woman. Kanade’s warmth radiated around her, and Tsubasa felt electric tingles at their proximity.

 “Could you, um… Take a break for a little?” Kanade asked, voice sheepish. It had gotten a little husky and soft in her sudden shyness.

 _Most uncharacteristic of her_ , Tsubasa thought, and wondered what this was about. She acquiesced though, bending her knees to lay her sword carefully on the training ground. Tsubasa stood up, never having broken eye contact with the taller woman.

“What is it, Kanade?”

Without responding, Kanade gently took Tsubasa’s right hand in her own and then placed her left on her waist. The action brought both of their bodies together, and Tsubasa could feel Kanade’s breath feathering lightly across her cheek.

“Do you know this?” Kanade asked. She had to squint her eyes and stop for a second while she tried to remember the English word for it. “ _Waltzing_? I was talking to Mr. Genjuro, and he told me to research ballroom dancing to broaden my techniques. I didn’t stop watching videos of it for hours! It’s totally cool!”

Tsubasa would have laughed at Kanade’s exuberance, but the hand on her waist was sending torrents of fire across her stomach. She nearly couldn’t even respond for a moment while she collected herself. _Kanade always seemed to make her legs feel like pudding._

“I know it,” Tsubasa responded, finally. She unclasped their right hands in order to adjust Kanade’s hold on her waist to the proper position. She took a slight step back so that the stance was perfect. When she took Kanade’s other hand again, she was blushing.

“Did you bring music?” Tsubasa wondered since she’d gone quiet.

“Uh… oh yeah!” Kanade snapped out of her daze, smile returning. “Would I let you down?”

Kanade’s face grew serious, as she recalled the steps. Tsubasa waited patiently for her to lead them. After a moment, Kanade began moving.

“Hm hm hmm hmm,” Kanade started to sing, in her beautiful husky voice, along to Waltz of the Flowers by Tchaikovsky.

 _One two three. One two three._ A soft spin and back. It was faltering in the beginning, some missteps and twitches of Kanade’s arm in the wrong direction proved that they were still learners. But after a few minutes, they started to get the hang of each other’s movements. 

Tsubasa couldn’t help the giddiness bubbling inside of her chest the more they danced together. _It was so ridiculous. So Kanade._  

Somewhere to their right lay Tsubasa’s sword in the grass, completely forgotten.

 

***

 “Tachibana, I…”

“D…don’t worry about it!” Hibiki’s voice interrupted Tsubasa’s. _Too quickly_. Hibiki looked humiliated. “It was such a dumb request. I completely understand if you can’t help me. I shouldn’t have dragged you away from important training like this. I’m such an idiot.”

Hibiki turned as if to run away, and Tsubasa had to quickly step forward to grab her shoulder. She waited until the younger girl looked up to meet her gaze again, though shamefully. Tsubasa could tell that Hibiki was still a little terrified of her. And perhaps worried that their tenuous friendship would dissolve at any second. It had been mere months ago that Tsubasa had given her such a hard time, after all. And so Tsubasa wasn’t surprised that Hibiki acted like a deer in headlights around her sometimes.

“Please, Tachibana. It’s alright,” Tsubasa said gently. “I’ll help.”

“Really?” Hibiki’s voice was several notches higher than normal. “You really mean it? Thank you, Tsubasa-san!”

Tsubasa simply smiled wearily, feeling thirty years older. She held out her hand in the opening pose and Hibiki eagerly rushed to take it.

“Generally, the taller partner leads,” Tsubasa explained. “So, you’ll have to mimic my steps when you dance with your friend, okay?”

Hibiki nodded, her face that of the most serious student.

Tsubasa gripped Hibiki’s hand, feeling how small and warm it was. _And clammy._ The girl turned into a tomato again when Tsubasa met her eyes in amusement. _She certainly was nervous._ Tsubasa placed her other hand at the small of Hibiki’s back. 

“Now follow me,” she ordered. “One, two- _ouch_!” _Pain._ Hibiki had literally stomped down on top of Tsubasa’s toes.

“Eek!” Hibiki jumped out of Tsubasa’s hold, hands flying to her mouth. “Are you okay, Tsubasa-san? I’m so sorry! I can’t believe… “

“It’s alright,” Tsubasa interrupted, before Hibiki spun out of control again. Tsubasa hoped to shake the other girl from her worry that things would slide back into rivalry and bitterness, but that was not going to happen. She truly cared for Hibiki as a friend and wanted to help eliminate some of her needless anxiety.

Tsubasa waited for Hibiki to return to their starting position. “Let’s just try again. Watch my feet. _One. Two. Three_.”

Tsubasa showed her the basic footwork. Hibiki’s intense stare at Tsubasa’s feet could have burned holes into the carpet if there had been any. Tsubasa had to lean back every time Hibiki’s head shot back up to hear her directions.

“Alright, let’s try it from the top.”

“Okay,” Hibiki agreed, breathless with worry.

“One, two, three. One, two, _ack_!”

“Gosh! I’m so sorry again,” Hibiki’s voice was miserable. “I’ve got two left feet. Maybe I’m not cut out for this at all…”

Tsubasa stepped back, frowning, as the sharp pain from her bruised toe throbbed. She was thinking of how to proceed, since Hibiki seemed to be struggling.

“Why don’t you watch me for a little, Tachibana? You can see how my feet look at that part.”

Hibiki nodded, looking a little encouraged that Tsubasa didn’t seem to mind her mistakes. She plopped down into a _seiza_ position on the floor, ready to learn. Tsubasa smiled. Something about Hibiki’s focus and studiousness reminded her of her own childhood.

Tsubasa wrapped her arms around an imaginary partner and began the waltz again.

“One, two, three,” she recited under her breath. Her feet matched every count. After the third repetition, she twirled, and her gear pendant flashed through the air.

“Hm hm hmm hmm,” Tsubasa hummed, a melody to a waltz that sprung immediately into her mind. The scenery around her changed. She was in her training yards. The sun shone down upon her back.

And then when she twirled again, a new hand seemed to catch hers.

_“Dance with me, Tsubasa,” Kanade’s voice begged her._

“Kanade!”

The tall, red-haired woman disappeared the second Tsubasa’s arm lashed out to touch her. But like always, the memory faded like water dripping through cupped hands. 

Tsubasa’s fingers wilted as the ballroom reappeared around her, the browns a stark contrast to the yellows and greens she’d been surrounded by mere moments ago in her mind.

“ _Kanade_ ,” Tsubasa whispered again, in realization, as pools of tears welled.

In horror, Tsubasa quickly glanced to Hibiki who had stood, arm outstretched in confused worry. Her expression was stricken.

“Tsu...basa-san?”

“I’m sorry,” Tsubasa backed away from her. “I’m sorry, Tachibana. I have to go.”

Hibiki didn’t even try to stop her as she pushed past the other girl in a quick exit. The room seemed suddenly eerily quiet, as if overtaken by ghosts.

After a minute, Hibiki picked up her shoes and left.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by the song "Tightrope" from the Greatest Showman. I dare you to listen to it and not cry while thinking about KanaTsuba. It's impossible.


End file.
